US President Donald Trump has called on foreign companies investing in the United States to not only bring capital but also share their expertise by training American workers in advanced manufacturing.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump stressed the importance of knowledge transfer in sectors like semiconductors, shipbuilding, and high-tech machinery, arguing that the US must relearn skills it once excelled in but has since lost.
“When foreign companies with massive investments enter the United States, I want them to bring their experts for a period of time to teach and train our people how to make these unique and complex products,” Trump wrote.
He noted that such collaboration would ensure long-term benefits of foreign investments, citing shipbuilding as an example where America had gone from producing “a ship a day” to “barely a ship a year.”
Trump also emphasized that allowing temporary foreign expertise would strengthen US independence and industrial capability:
“We welcome foreign investment and their employees, and we are willing to proudly learn from them — and eventually do even better at their own game.”
The remarks come as Washington ramps up efforts to revive domestic manufacturing amid global economic uncertainties and tariff-driven trade shifts.
Earlier this month, Trump highlighted how tariffs have pushed Chinese, Mexican, and Canadian carmakers to build factories in the US, avoiding trade barriers while benefiting from protective policies.
“Thousands of companies are coming into the US… Car companies especially. They want to build here because they like being here, and tariffs protect them,” Trump said during a White House press briefing.
